Ira van Keulen (1973) is a sociologist who graduated from the State University of Groningen in The Netherlands. Part of her sociological education she did at the City University of New York (CUNY). She is specialized in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and worked for many years at the Rathenau Institute, the Dutch parliamentary institute on science policy, technology, innovation and society. At the Rathenau Institute she worked both as a researcher but also as the parliamentary liaison. Before she also worked at the Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends on a future study on the applied neurosciences. Since three years she works as a strategic advisor for the Nationale ombudsman, the Dutch ombudsman institute. Two of the main topics she works on are: the Dutch child allowance scandal and the digitalization of government services but she is also aligned to the Ombudsplein where 90% of all the complaints, questions and signals come in by phone and mail.